He loves and she loves

Just Causes

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March 01, 2005

Common confusions

According to "The Commonly Confused Words Test" [via blogsnow] at OKCupid! presents, our command of the English language puts us in the "English Genius" category:

You did so extremely well, even I can't find a word to describe your excellence! You have the uncommon intelligence necessary to understand things that most people don't. You have an extensive vocabulary, and you're not afraid to use it properly!

It's a multiple-choice word-usage test where you're asked to distinguish between such similar-sounding words as loose/lose, affect/effect, your/you're, there/their/they're and -- one of our favorites 'cause they're so frequently confused, its/it's. They forgot to include another of our favorite pairs, lead/led. No one ever seems to get that one right anymore. Fun stuff, and thank you, Miss Wood, for introducing us to Strunk and White's The Elements of Style and for inculcating your eighth-grade students with a love of language and belief in your counsel that "muddy writing reflects muddy thinking."

I wasn't issued a Strunk & White until freshman year in college when one of my AmHist prof's told us we'd better get one, since he would take off points for improper footnotes, op cits and ibids, i.e.'s and e.g.'s. And from the man who wrote Charlotte's Web!

It was another year before I read the chapters that actually dealt with style per se. As anyone who has read my blog will see, I promptly forgot most of it.